Agriculturally active ingredients, such as pesticides and plant growth regulators, have conventionally been provided to the end-user in different concentrated forms to be diluted in water or other suitable medium to form a dilute ready-to-use formulation by the end-user. Such concentrated forms include solid formulations, e.g. powders, and liquid formulations. In many applications, liquid formulations are preferred as problems of dusting of toxic powders and slow dissolution in the diluent may be avoided.
An emulsion concentrate typically comprises an agricultural active ingredient, a water-insoluble solvent, and an emulsifier, and when added to the water, it spontaneously, or after active mixing, e.g. stirring, forms an oil-in-water emulsion, the agricultural active ingredient primarily being present in the emulsion droplets. This type of concentrated formulation is especially suitable for agricultural actives that are water insoluble/have low water solubility, and where the recommended concentration in the ready-to-use formulation exceeds the solubility of the agricultural active ingredient.
It is important that the agriculturally active ingredient is stably dissolved in the emulsion concentrate. Precipitation of the agriculturally active ingredient may result in a loss of efficacy. Should the agriculturally active ingredient be concentrated to the precipitates, it is prevented from being evenly distributed when sprayed on a field.
There is thus a need in the field to find new and improved, solvents/solvent systems for agriculturally active ingredients, which can be used in agricultural formulations, especially in form of emulsion concentrates.